So declared the website www.floridabeachbar.com, which recently asked visitors to the site to vote on their favorites among 250 Florida beach bars. With 10,000 votes cast, Sharky's was the top choice.

"This is the first time Sharky's made the Top 10 Florida Beach Bar list and it did with a bang," wrote website owner John Sancin, a Sarasota resident. "...It is a favorite hangout for beachgoers, fishers and, yes, sharks. Sharky's is not just a clever name. Every so often the 'big one' that is reeled in is a shark."

Sancin declined to say how many votes Sharky's received but noted it narrowly beat out Jimmy B's Beach Bar in St. Pete Beach, the top choice for the past two years.

The website lauded Sharky's for its tiki huts and bar, live music and 2-story deck with beach and sunset views.

"The best is yet to come," it added, referring to the restaurant's ongoing expansion.

"Pretty cool, huh?" said Justin Pachota, whose family manages the restaurant at the city-owned pier. "The word is getting out there."

Patrons have told him they heard about the honor on Tampa Bay radio and in other media, Pachota said. "It's nice to know we have so many fans."

Pachota thinks the recognition will be a plus for Venice.

With Siesta Beach in Sarasota previously named the No. 1 beach, Sharky's may now be an additional lure for tourists who have not been to the area before, Pachota said. He hopes they will come to the Sarasota-Venice area "to get the full beach experience" — including, of course, lunch or dinner at Sharky's.

Sancin said the website's next Top 10 contest will be in March-April 2014.

In 1985, Mike Pachota and Greg Novack converted the site of a dilapidated beach concession into the restaurant, located at the base of the original fishing pier. Sharky's officially opened on Feb. 10, 1987, with only 78 seats.

Sharky's now seats about 300 and is working on a two-story addition that will increase the seating to 550.

<p><em>VENICE</em> - Long one of the most popular waterfront drinking and dining venues in the region, Sharky's on the Pier has a new honor to burnish its reputation: Florida's Best Beach Bar.</p><p>So declared the website www.floridabeachbar.com, which recently asked visitors to the site to vote on their favorites among 250 Florida beach bars. With 10,000 votes cast, Sharky's was the top choice.</p><p>"This is the first time Sharky's made the Top 10 Florida Beach Bar list and it did with a bang," wrote website owner John Sancin, a Sarasota resident. "...It is a favorite hangout for beachgoers, fishers and, yes, sharks. Sharky's is not just a clever name. Every so often the 'big one' that is reeled in is a shark."</p><p>Sancin declined to say how many votes Sharky's received but noted it narrowly beat out Jimmy B's Beach Bar in St. Pete Beach, the top choice for the past two years.</p><p>The website lauded Sharky's for its tiki huts and bar, live music and 2-story deck with beach and sunset views.</p><p>"The best is yet to come," it added, referring to the restaurant's ongoing expansion.</p><p>"Pretty cool, huh?" said Justin Pachota, whose family manages the restaurant at the city-owned pier. "The word is getting out there."</p><p>Patrons have told him they heard about the honor on Tampa Bay radio and in other media, Pachota said. "It's nice to know we have so many fans."</p><p>Pachota thinks the recognition will be a plus for Venice.</p><p>With Siesta Beach in Sarasota previously named the No. 1 beach, Sharky's may now be an additional lure for tourists who have not been to the area before, Pachota said. He hopes they will come to the Sarasota-Venice area "to get the full beach experience" — including, of course, lunch or dinner at Sharky's.</p><p>Sancin said the website's next Top 10 contest will be in March-April 2014.</p><p>In 1985, Mike Pachota and Greg Novack converted the site of a dilapidated beach concession into the restaurant, located at the base of the original fishing pier. Sharky's officially opened on Feb. 10, 1987, with only 78 seats.</p><p>Sharky's now seats about 300 and is working on a two-story addition that will increase the seating to 550.</p>